The present invention relates to thermal pack units or compresses for making hot or cold applications to various portions of the human body in medical treatment, and more particularly, to a therapeutic thermal pack unit which can be readily contoured to a predetermined portion of a person's body for maintaining a predetermined body temperature for therapeutic purposes.
A plurality of hot or cold applicators exist in the prior art whereby thermal fluid is circulated at a first temperature from a supply into an applicator and thence through a serpentine or convoluted path back out of the applicator to return the circulating fluid to the supply so that a continuous flow of fluid at the first temperature may be inputted to the applicator. Such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,896,953; 2,726,658; and 3,683,902 which are incorporated by reference herein for teaching systems in which such applicator units may be used and for teaching thermal fluid storage and circulation means for such systems.
Such systems, however, suffer from many shortcomings. Nearly all such systems involve relatively thick and bulky compresses which do not conform closely to the contour of the human body such as those irregularly fromed areas about the eyes, nose and ears of a patient who has undergone plastic surgery or the like. Failure of the pack unit to conform closely about such areas and to retain close contact once positioned will result in one area being cooled at a first temperature while another adjacent area does not even contact the pack unit. This problem often results in irregular or non-uniform healing of the skin, swelling and the like.
One of the prime objects of the therapeutic pack unit or compress of the present invention is to enable it to be easily and closely conformed to any part of the human body which has recently undergone plastic surgery, a skin graft or the like, such as those areas of a human body about an eye, a nose, an ear, or the like, and then to insure that the relatively close contoured fit of the compress is maintained during the healing operation so as to prevent swelling and to retard the tendency of the newly-applied skin to die before the flow of blood begins.
The present invention eliminates the deficiencies of the prior art and provides a mechanically simple, low-cost, lightweight therapeutic pack unit or compress which can be readily molded to retainably conform closely to the contours of any portion of the human body and which will retain the conformed contour throughout the period of use without the need for constantly adjusting or recontouring the pack unit and without variations inposition due to variations in the pressure of the thermal fluid, thereby greatly enhancing the therapeutic value of the device of the present invention.